BIOGRAPHY

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A world class guitar hero, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, an international recording artist, and a soundtrack composer for film and television, GARY LUCAS is on the move in 2024.

The former Captain Beefheart guitarist has recorded over 50 acclaimed albums to date in his own right in a variety of genres—jazz, rock, classical, folk, blues, avant-garde and world music—and has performed in over 40 countries—including the UK, Canada, Australia, all over Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, South Korea, Serbia, China, Russia, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Morocco, India, and elsewhere.

Gary has received several Lifetime Achievement awards for his songwriting with Jeff Buckley (he co-wrote Jeff's anthems "Grace" and "Mojo Pin") and many honors—including performing solo before the General Assembly of the UN to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

He has performed and collaborated with a who's who of musical luminaries, including Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), Jeff Buckley, Leonard Bernstein, Lou Reed, John Cale, Patti Smith, Chris Cornell, Bryan Ferry, Nona Hendryx, Los Van Van, Bob Weir, Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Lukas Ligeti, Martha Wainwright, Camille O'Sullivan, Steve Kilbey, and many others, and he has given Masterclasses in guitar and songwriting at his alma mater Yale University, Columbia University, Rutgers University, the Amsterdam Musik Conservatorium, the Henri Dutilleux Conservatoire in Paris, The New School, and other academic institutions.

Dubbed "The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero" by The New Yorker, "The world's most popular avant-rock guitarist" by The Independent (UK), "One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists" (Classic Rock), "Legendary Leftfield guitarist" by The Guardian (UK), "Guitarist of 1000 Ideas" by The New York Times, "a true axe God" by Melody Maker, and "One of the five best guitarists in the world" by the national Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny; the British world music magazine fRoots recently described Gary Lucas as "without question, the most innovative and challenging guitarist playing today." Rolling Stone's David Fricke wrote: "Gary Lucas is one of the best and most original guitarists in America...a modern guitar miracle." Best-selling author/producer Dan Levitin ("This Is Your Brain On Music") recently cited Gary as "the greatest living electric guitarist". Gary was also dubbed "one of the world's greatest guitar players" by HITS Magazine. Pete Frame, music journalist, founder/editor of legendary UK music magazine ZigZag, and author/creator of 5 volumes of "Rock Family Trees" said of Gary, "Can there be another musician as adventurous, ingenious, accomplished, diverse, intrepid, hard-working and well-travelled as Gary Lucas?" On Sept. 15th 2021, Rolling Stone magazine published their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time which included Gary Lucas and Jeff Buckley’s anthem "Grace"—the title track of Jeff Buckley's two-million selling 1994 album.



Quotable quotes about Gary Lucas:

"You're a phenomenal guitarist" —Bruce Springsteen

"Man can play guitar!" —Captain Beefheart

"I could listen to you play for hours, Gary...beyond cool" —Lou Reed

"An incredible guitarist" —Nick Cave

"Man, you were really wailing!" —Leonard Bernstein

"Magical guitarness...I carry Gary in my fingers" —Jeff Buckley

"One of the best and most original guitarists in America...a modern guitar miracle" —Rolling Stone

"The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero…an A-list musician" —The New Yorker

"One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists" —Classic Rock Magazine

"One of the world's greatest guitarists" —HITS Magazine

"Legendary left-field guitarist" —The Guardian

"Gary Lucas plays guitar like Salvador Dali paints...guitarist with a global beat." —New York Times

"Can there be another musician as adventurous, ingenious, accomplished, diverse, intrepid, hard-working and well-travelled as Gary Lucas?" —Pete Frame, music journalist, founder/editor of legendary UK music magazine ZigZag, and author/creator of 5 volumes of "Rock Family Trees"


For an update on all of Gary's activities in 2024, go to his home page at www.garylucas.com and scroll through the current News section.

Gary Lucas makes his home in New York City.



With U.S. Consul General in Milan Phillip Reeker at a reception at his residence sponsored by the U.S. Consulate in Milan 3/21/15
photo by Simonetta Romagnolo


Gary Lucas Live at the Monk Club Rome Italy with The Niro 12/27/19
photo copyright Mario Rimati

 


Gary Lucas at the sold-out London Tribute to Jeff Buckley 9/9/17
photo by Michael Arkk


Gary Lucas Live at the Monk Club Rome Italy with The Niro 12/27/19
photo copyright Mario Rimati


Gary Lucas performs solo acoustic before the General Assembly of the UN for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 1/27/17
photo by Jason Candler


Piazza Venezia in Rome 12/17/18
photo by David Combusti


Gary Lucas in Shanghai 11/9/16